


Attack of the Anteaters!

by Tchu-chan (Tchu_chan)



Series: NaLu stories post-Findings and Leavings [3]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:49:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24881848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tchu_chan/pseuds/Tchu-chan
Summary: Based on the side story at the end of 100YQ volume 2. Natsu persuades Lucy to go on a mission to help her get over her writer's block. Citrusy goodness in chapters 1 and 3. Enjoy and please drop me a review!
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Series: NaLu stories post-Findings and Leavings [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799542
Comments: 4
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Lucy Heartfilia had a deadline. And a bad case of writer's block.

She sighed forlornly, hunched over an ink-splattered notebook on her desk. Slowly, she leaned down and bonked her ponytailed head against the pages, hoping to jar some inspiration into her brain.

No such luck.

She exhaled heavily, eyes closed.

Behind her, Happy and Natsu observed this odd behavior and glanced at each other questioningly. Mouth full of the chips he'd been munching on, the fire mage asked, “'Swrong, Lucy? You seem down.”

“Yeah,” Happy chimed in. “Don't you know that if you sigh too much, your soul will be stolen?”

“I don't think that's right, Happy. It's your tongue that's stolen,” Natsu corrected him, scratching his head.

Lucy frowned and turned to look at both of them as they sat behind her, ensconced on the plush arm chair they often commandeered whenever they crashed her apartment. “You're both wrong. It's 'sighing chases happiness away.' It has nothing to do with souls or tongues!” She shook her head, exasperated. “You're mixing up totally unrelated sayings! Enma's the King of the Underworld who steals the tongues of liars,” she told Natsu, then arched an eyebrow at Happy. “And I have no idea what _you_ were thinking with the souls thing. Creepy!”

Happy rolled his eyes and smirked. “Ooooh...big talk coming from someone with ink all over her face.” He giggled behind his paw.

“Wha—?!” The blonde slapped a hand to her forehead and groaned when her fingers came away streaked in black ink. She pushed away from the desk and rushed into the bathroom.

Natsu chuckled as he heard his girlfriend's muttering mixed with the sounds of water and splashing. “C'mon, Luce, spill. You've been moaning and groaning around here for the last couple of weeks. Why don't you tell us what's bugging you? Maybe we can help.”

She trudged out of the bathroom, patting her face with a fluffy white towel. Natsu noticed she'd managed to splash water onto her pink tank top, making the lace of her bra visible through the light cotton shirt. Wisely, he decided not to mention it, since the struggling author was already in a mood—and not the playful kind. He merely enjoyed the view until she returned to the bathroom to hang up the towel.

She grimaced as she came back into the room. “It's my short story deadline. My editor's already given me a one-week extension, but I can't come up with any good ideas!”

Natsu hopped up from the chair and smacked one fist into the other, giving off a small burst of flame. “Your editor? That's easy! Just beat him up until he gives ya all the extra time ya need.”

She gaped at him, shocked. “You idiot! I can't do that! Besides, he's a nice man! He arranged for me to write this story for a fantasy anthology about animals that's coming out in a few months. He said it's a good way for new authors to get some name recognition when they're just starting out. I don't want to let him down when he's trying so hard to help me!”

“Okay, okay... It was just an idea, calm down.”

Happy looked curious. “What kind of animal are you going to write about, Lucy?”

Her outrage faded and she shrugged. “The story's supposed to be about a group of men and women who go on an anteater hunt.”

“Anteaters? Really?” Happy's eyes were wide. “No wonder you can't think of anything.”

“Yeah,” Natsu laughed. “Too bad you can't write about dragons. That'd be a whole lot easier. And way cooler.”

“I know, right? But this is the story my editor says the publishers of the anthology want, so I'm determined I'm gonna write it!” Her chocolate eyes gleamed fiercely for a moment, then she sighed again. “I just have no idea how...” She shook her head. “You guys should probably go so I can concentrate. I'll catch up with you at the guild later for lunch.”

“Actually, Happy and I have something that'll probably help you out, Luce. Take a look at this!” With a big grin, Natsu pulled a crumpled flyer out of his pants pocket and held it out to the celestial mage.

“Wha—?! Why the heck do you have this?” she gasped, eyes wide. The paper was for a job that paid 200,000 jewel. It was a giant anteater hunt! Or rather, a hunt for giant anteaters, she saw, reading the flyer more carefully. For clarification, the paper depicted a furry anteater towering over a normal-sized human male. The job was located in Peace Village, which was not too far from Magnolia—maybe a half-day's walk.

_Probably why Natsu chose it,_ Lucy thought. He and Happy could easily fly there, avoiding the Dragon Slayer's longtime nemesis: motion sickness from mechanical transportation.

“Perfect timing, right?” Natsu enthused, grabbing the blonde's hand and pulling her towards him. “Come with us, Luce! Maybe you'll get some ideas for your story!”

“Yeah,” Happy added, “let's go on an adventure! Since you're not getting anything done here anyway.”

Lucy resisted Natsu's enthusiastic tugging. “I don't know, you guys... I should really stay home and try to write...” The celestial mage's voice trailed off as Natsu's fingers tightened around her palm, pulling her close enough so he could wrap his arms around her waist. She let her palms rest against the dark cloth of his vest; his warmth always soothed her.

“C'mon, Luce. You're not gonna think of anything just sittin' around here! But I bet you'll find lots to write about if you do this mission with us, for sure!”

She felt herself wavering as Natsu and Happy gazed at her, their eyes wide with barely-contained excitement. Finally she sighed, relaxing against the Dragon Slayer. How could she resist when they looked at her like that?

“All right, all right. I'll go. Just let me throw my notebook and some clothes in a bag.”

“You won't regret it, I promise!” Smiling, Natsu leaned in to plant a kiss on her lips, then let his mouth drift over to her ear. Nipping the lobe, he murmured huskily, “Ya might also wanna change your shirt, 'cause it's wet an' I can see your bra. Not that I'm complainin'.” He gave her a quick squeeze and a cheeky grin as she pushed away from him, face bright red. Behind them, Happy groaned.

“Good grief. Get a room, you two! My eyes can't take it!”

“Shut it, cat! No one told you to look!” Lucy snapped, arms crossed over her chest. With that proclamation, she stomped over to her dresser and snatched some clothing out of it, then disappeared into the bathroom to change, slamming the door shut behind her. How Natsu could still make her blush so easily, despite the months they'd been dating—he'd seen her naked plenty of times, after all—she didn't know. Surely she should be well past embarrassment by this point? But no... It was like the mischievous Dragon Slayer had a knack for teasing her, and it flustered Lucy to no end. Half the time she couldn't decide whether she wanted to kiss him or smack him one!

Natsu, still grinning, turned to Happy and rubbed his hands together enthusiastically. Flipping them outward, fingers entwined, he cracked his knuckles loudly. “Look out, anteaters! I'm all fired up now!”

“Yeah!” Happy cried, pumping a paw into the air and fluttering in excitement. “Let's go kick some anteater butt!”

XXX

The walk to Peace Village normally took about four hours, including a brief stop to consume the picnic lunch Lucy had packed. Along the way, she explained to Natsu and Happy how anteaters usually ate insects, sucking them out of trees and anthills with their long, sticky tongues.

“Eeeuuwww...gross!” Happy exclaimed, disgusted. “That sounds way less yummy than fish!”

She laughed and agreed, adding that anteaters had very tiny mouths with no teeth, so they probably couldn't really enjoy fish anyway.

“That sounds awful. I feel sorry for them,” Happy opined.

“Don't feel too sorry,” Natsu cautioned him. “Mira told me the villagers have had some people go missing recently, and they say the giant anteaters are to blame. So maybe these ones are big enough to eat people. Or Exceeds,” he teased.

“I doubt it,” Lucy said, ignoring Happy's wide-eyed shudder. “I've never heard of an anteater eating a person. There's got to be more going on here. We'll just have to ask the townspeople when we get there, I guess. We're pretty close now.”

Natsu pulled out the flyer again and stared at it. “Looks like we gotta talk to a Mayor Whitmore...”

Just as he said it, a small object flew out from behind the leaves of a large oak tree and pegged Lucy right between the eyes. “Oww!” she yelped, falling over backwards onto her rump. She slapped a hand to her forehead. “That hurt!”

“Lucy!” Natsu leapt in front of her and launched a Fire Dragon's Roar at the tree from where the attack had come.

“Aieeeee!” came the scream of...a young boy?

Shocked, Natsu, Happy, and a wincing Lucy watched as a small body tumbled off a flaming branch, landing in the ferns below. Hurriedly, Lucy reached for a golden key.

“Open, Gate of the Scorpion!”

The ding dong doorbell tone sounded as the celestial mage's red-and-white haired sand spirit appeared. “Watcha need, Lucy?”

She pointed urgently at the fire licking up the branches of the oak tree. “Put it out! Please hurry!”

“On it!” the spirit cried, spraying a heavy dose of sand over the flaming oak and the boy below. Slowly but surely, the fires flickered and died, smothered by earth. Once she was sure the flames were completely out, Lucy climbed to her feet, dusting off the back of her skirt with her hands. “Thanks, Scorpio. I appreciate your help.”

“No prob, Lucy! See ya next time!”

As her spirit vanished back to the celestial realm in a shower of golden sparks, Happy flew over to look at the boy who'd fallen from the tree. Upon seeing the blue cat hovering above him, the slightly singed—but luckily not severely hurt—child jumped to his feet and turned to run. Before he could take two steps, Happy swooped in and lifted him off the ground by his dark green shirt.

“Put me down!” the boy yelled, kicking his feet and waving his fists fruitlessly. Happy ignored his struggles, holding him in the air until Lucy and Natsu joined them. Abruptly, the winged cat dropped the urchin at their feet. Natsu's face was white with concern as he took in the state of the boy's clothing and skin. Although the cloth was a bit smoky, none of it appeared to be burned away, thankfully. The flesh of his arms and face looked unharmed as well, although the miscreant's palms looked faintly pink from where he'd held onto the tree before he fell.

“Lemme go!” The boy's brown hair was mussed with sand and he gave them a fierce scowl as he knelt on the ground, but at least he didn't try to run anymore.

Natsu, panic subsiding at seeing the child was mostly unhurt, reached out and thumped him soundly on the head with his fist. “What the heck ya doin' hittin' people in the head like that? I almost fried ya!”

“It was only an acorn!” the boy howled, clutching his skull and scowling.

“Natsu, calm down,” Lucy soothed, laying a hand on his arm. She ran two fingers over the red spot on her forehead, then crouched down to talk to the child who was gingerly rubbing the swelling lump on his noggin. She thought he looked about ten years old.

“I'm Lucy,” the celestial mage offered, holding out her hand. “What's your name?”

Eyeing her suspiciously, the boy sniffed and said sulkily, “I don't have to tell you anything.”

“Hey!” Natsu snapped, “Apologize to Lucy, ya brat!” He made as if to thump the boy on the head again, but Lucy caught his arm before he could make contact.

“It's all right, Natsu. I'm not hurt.” Trying a different approach, she asked the boy, “Are you okay? Did you get burned?”

Slowly, he shook his head back and forth. “No.”

She smiled. “I'm glad. Do you live around here? We're looking for Mayor Whitmore of Peace Village. Do you know him?”

The boy looked as if he didn't want to answer, but grudgingly, he responded, “Yes.” After a moment, he asked, “Are you here for the anteater hunt?”

Natsu made a fist and said, “Yeah! We'll give those giants the what-for!”

The boy's eyes narrowed. Faster than the blink of an eye, he pulled a round object from his pocket and threw it on the ground. A huge plume of dust shot up around them, making the Fairy Tail mages cough and choke. They heard his voice yell back at them from further away, “I'm not sorry I hit you at all! Jerks!” Another acorn sailed through the dust cloud and pinged the fire mage right in the nose.

“Aargh!” Eyes watering from the stinging pain and the dirt, Natsu croaked, hand over his injured sniffer, “Why, you little—!”

“Wait, Natsu.” Coughing, Lucy grabbed the back of his vest when he would've chased after the boy. Struggling to breathe without sucking in a lungful of dust, she dragged him backwards, out of the cloud. “Just let him go,” she advised, heading back toward the path to the village. “Let's go find the mayor.”

“Aye!” Happy agreed, wings carrying him down the path ahead of Lucy.

Grudgingly, Natsu followed, muttering under his breath about brats with no manners. Lucy took his hand and tugged him forward to walk beside her. She gave it a squeeze.

“Come on, Natsu. I think there's more to this than just a simple anteater hunt. Let's hurry on to the village so we can figure out what's going on. I'm sure that boy lives there, so someone will know him.”

The fire mage looked over at his blonde partner. “I guess. Still, that brat could use a good pounding for nailing you in the forehead and me in the nose!”

She smiled. “Don't worry. Hanging around with you guys has hardened my skull. No harm done!”

“Yeah,” Happy agreed, “You're almost as hard-headed as Natsu!”

She gave the blue Exceed a side-eyed glance, then chuckled. “Well...I don't know about that, but the point is, I'm okay and you're okay, so let's go. We're wasting daylight.”

“Aye, Sir!” Happy and Natsu chimed together.

“And don't call me 'Sir!'”

XXX

_Speaking of brats with no manners,_ Lucy thought wearily as she observed Natsu and Happy stuffing their faces with cookies from the tea tray Mayor Whitmore's wife had placed on the coffee table in front of them. The mayor's home was nicely appointed, with comfortable couches, pale blue drapes, and an upright piano in the corner of the room. The house itself was not particularly large, being only slightly bigger than the other homes in the village, but it seemed well-maintained.

From what Lucy gathered, Peace Village's economy was largely based on agriculture, although they'd seen a few shops and restaurants along Main Street. On the way into town, they'd stopped off at the local inn to rent a room. The elderly lady who ran it had given them directions to the mayor's house. Trying to ignore the crunching and lip smacking going on beside her as best she could, the celestial mage sipped her tea and asked politely, “Can you please tell us what's been happening here, Mayor Whitmore? I understand some people have gone missing?”

Lucas Whitmore was a relatively young man for his position, no more than forty, Lucy guessed. He had chestnut hair that was beginning to gray at the temples, and a kindly smile. His dark eyes were warm and friendly. Vaguely, she thought they reminded her of someone, but she couldn't readily place who it might be. His wife, Jayne, was petite, with a calm, quiet air about her. She had cornflower blue eyes, and a soft-spoken voice. And she made an excellent cup of tea.

Almost immediately, Lucy decided she liked them. She thought Natsu did, too, although he and Happy were too busy eating to make much conversation. She cringed inwardly at their horrendous lack of manners.

At Lucy's query, Mayor Whitmore glanced at his wife then replied, “It's the strangest thing, to be sure. We've lived near the anteater colony for fifty-some-odd years and never had a problem like this. They've always been good neighbors, quiet and keeping to themselves for the most part. But recently, they've been agitated for some reason.”

“Have you tried talking with them?”

“Well, sure. But the few anteaters who've come close to town only demanded that we 'give her back!' They didn't really explain what they meant, and everyone was too afraid to approach them because they're ten feet tall when they stand on their back legs, and have huge claws they use for digging. They're pretty scary when they're angry.” He shrugged.

“Honestly, we wouldn't have worried too much about it—they've never hurt anyone—but three days ago, the Haverlys went missing. Their farm is on the far outskirts of town, nearest the anteater colony. When they didn't show up to go to the market in Crocus for a couple of days, a group of us went to check on them. We found the windows in the house smashed in and the things inside tossed around and covered in this clear, sticky stuff. We think it's the saliva the anteaters make to catch insects.

“Problem is...we can't think of a reason why they'd do such a thing. As far as I know, no one here has done anything to upset them, and they're usually pretty docile around humans. When it's hot like it is now, they're more active at night and tend to sleep during the day when people are out and about. We don't normally interact with them on a daily basis.”

“But who did they want ya to give back?” Natsu asked. He'd finished stuffing his face and was now listening intently.

“That's just it. We don't know. And they didn't explain. That's why, after the Haverlys went missing, I sent this notice to Fairy Tail about a hunt. Although, fact of the matter is...it's not so much a hunt as a mystery we want you to solve.”

Lucy nodded. “It sounds to me like you don't really want the anteaters hurt or captured, but you want us to figure out what happened to your people, and what the anteaters' actual grievance is so we can try to rectify it. Is that right?” She glanced at Natsu and Happy, who nodded.

The mayor scratched his head. “Yeah, you pretty much hit the nail right on the head. Folks around here really don't want to see the anteaters killed or driven out, but we can't let 'em go on snatching people either. If you could get to the bottom of this mystery, we'd really appreciate it. I'll send my son, Robby, around in the morning to collect you. He'll show you where their colony is located. I wouldn't recommend going at night, since they'll be more active then.”

Lucy reached out to shake the mayor's hand. “Sounds like a plan. We've already checked into the local inn, so for tonight, we'll just grab some dinner and get an early start tomorrow morning. We'll try talking to them first to see if we can figure out what they want. Anteaters aren't supposed to be particularly violent, so I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle.”

“I hope so. Thanks again for responding so quickly to our flyer. I'll send Robby around by eight o'clock. You might try Crenshaw's for dinner. They've got a really delicious rhubarb pie right now.”

“Thank you! That's very kind,” Lucy responded then rose to leave. “We'll let you know as soon as we figure anything out.” As she moved to the front door, Natsu and Happy followed her.

“Just be careful. I'd hate to see anyone get hurt,” Mayor Whitmore cautioned. “That kind of thing just doesn't happen in this town, and I'd like to keep it that way.”

Natsu offered him a fanged grin. “Don't worry! Fairy Tail is on the job an' we're all fired up!”

XXX

“So what do you think is going on, Lucy?” Happy asked, yawning as he curled up on one of the pillows on the queen-sized bed. After a hearty and excellent dinner—including rhubarb pie!—they'd gone back to their room at the inn. Lucy had immediately pulled out her notebook to jot down some ideas to use in her story. She shrugged at Happy's question.

“Haven't a clue. We just don't know enough.”

Natsu snorted. “Not yet. But I know somebody who does know something.”

Lucy thought for a moment, then nodded. “That boy. I bet you're right. He seemed upset that we were here to hunt the anteaters. That must mean he wants to protect them. But why? If they're being aggressive and kidnapping people like the mayor said, it doesn't make sense.”

“I dunno why, but maybe we can get some answers at the colony tomorrow.”

“Okay, but let's not go in there all 'guns a blazin',' okay? We don't want to make things worse if it's just a simple misunderstanding,” Lucy cautioned.

“Aww...you're taking all the fun out of it, Luce. No fair.”

“You'll live,” she replied unsympathetically. “Now, I'm going to take a bath and go to bed. We've got a busy day tomorrow.” She glanced over at the blue Exceed, who yawned mightily and turned away from the light in the room. “Happy's already down for the count.” She stretched and yawned, “And truthfully, I'm not far behind him. It's been a long day.”

“I hear ya. Go take your bath, Luce.”

Rifling through her belongings, Lucy grabbed her favorite baby blue nightie and a clean pair of panties, then went into the bathroom and closed the door, completely oblivious to Natsu's lingering gaze. She set about brushing her teeth, using the toilet, and running the hot water into the bath.

The tub was nice, with a small, tiled space along the wall with several lotions, bath salts, and hair products laid out for use. Curious, Lucy uncapped a few of the bath salts, sniffed them, then selected one and dumped it into the steaming water. The scent of sweet vanilla slowly rose in the room, and the blonde sighed happily as she stepped into the tub and sat down. The water soothed her sore muscles and she scooted forward enough so that she could lean her head back to get her hair wet. She felt dusty and dirty from the day's events and couldn't wait to wash it!

Eyes closed so as to not get shampoo in them, she massaged the foaming suds into her scalp. So absorbed was she in her task, she didn't hear the opening and closing of the bathroom door. The click of the lock was her only warning.

“Natsu, what are you—?”

“Shh! Happy's asleep. Scoot over so I can get in,” he nudged her. Before she could refuse, he slid her forward in the tub and slipped his naked body in behind her, pulling the celestial mage back against his chest. His knees fell open around her hips and she squirmed against him as water came dangerously close to sloshing over the lip of the tub.

“Natsu...I don't know if this is a...” she sighed in pleasure as his hands plunged into her soapy hair and began to wash it, “...good idea.” His blunt nails dragged lightly against her scalp and she almost purred like a cat. “You _know_ what always happens...”

He chuckled low in his throat. “You'll just have to be quiet,” he murmured, then mouthed the flesh where her neck and shoulder met, sucking it gently. “Besides, you love it when I wash and dry your hair. And I love touching you like this.”

His hands drifted down from her foamy tresses to palm her breasts, covering them with suds. She arched into his grasp as his fingers pinched and tugged on the slick nipples. With a low moan, she let her head fall backwards onto his shoulder. She could feel his erection pressing into the small of her back and she rubbed against him, making him groan. In response, he slid them both forward in the tub so he could lean back, pulling her down with him until the water touched her chin.

“Time to rinse,” he told her gruffly.

Knowing what was coming, Lucy took a breath, closed her eyes, and held her nose as he dunked them both under the water, hands spanning her waist. She heard the sound of water sloshing over the edge of the tub and hurriedly ran the fingers of her free hand through her hair before sitting up. She leaned forward and pulled the plug from the tub, re-stoppering the drain only once the water level was well below her hips.

“Oops,” Natsu breathed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back firmly against him.

“We're making a mess,” Lucy complained, then sucked in a breath as her boyfriend's fingers wandered down between her legs. “Natsu!”

“Don't care.” His left hand cupped her breast and gave it a squeeze, then plucked at the nipple. He nibbled his way down the side of her throat, making her moan. “C'mon, Luce. Admit it,” he murmured, nuzzling her ear as he stroked her center. “You don't care either. Now come on my fingers.”

At his bold demand, Lucy's eyes closed and she shivered. It just wasn't fair! He was _way_ too good with his hands! It was crazy how he could get her to do almost anything simply by stroking and circling her clit—like he was doing right now. Occasionally, he paused to dip a finger inside her, making her gasp and buck into his hand. He smiled into her shoulder as she whimpered and thrashed in the shallow water, legs spread as wide as they could go within the confines of the tub. Her hands clutched at his muscular thighs as she writhed against him, breaths coming faster and harsher from between her lips.

“Natsu...” she panted, voice desperate as she searched for that extra touch, just that little bit more... “I need...”

“Shh...keep it down. I got what ya need.” He kissed her temple and slipped a second digit inside her. Angling his wrist, he stroked her clit with his thumb while curling his fingers inside her body.

Lucy tried to stifle her moans of pleasure. She really did. But his hands were driving her crazy, pushing her to new heights as they caressed her core and tugged on her nipples. Slowly but surely, she tightened around his fingers, back arching almost uncontrollably in her rising frenzy. The low cry she'd tried to hold back pushed its way up and out of her throat, despite her best intentions.

Reacting quickly, Natsu released her breast and clapped a hand over her mouth, smothering his girlfriend's cries of passion. “Shhh! Luce, you gotta be quiet,” he admonished, even as he kissed and nipped her jawline. “Happy's gonna wake up.” Chuckling softly, he withdrew his fingers from her core, wrapping his arm around her waist as she collapsed, letting her head fall back against his shoulder.

Even lost in her orgasmic haze, it didn't escape Lucy's notice that his laughter was laced with purely male satisfaction. She whined, voice a whisper, “I can't help it! You make me feel too good. It's your own damn fault!”

His chest rumbled under her shoulder blades as he laughed smugly. Feeling he needed a good dose of his own medicine, she wiggled her bottom, pressing backwards against his erection. Huskily, he breathed into her ear, “Turn around and ride me, Lucy.”

Eager to please her Dragon Slayer lover—and also wanting to tease him a bit—Lucy rose and turned, sliding her wet body against him. She straddled his hips with her knees, bracing her hands against his chest, enjoying the feel of the firm muscles beneath her palms. His mouth fell instantly to her breasts, suckling the rosy tips into tight peaks, fingers roaming over the curve of her bottom and squeezing as he guided her into position.

She let him move her, then held herself poised above him, sliding lightly over the tip of his erection, coating him with her moisture as he tensed in anticipation. Mischievously, she held back on enveloping him completely, allowing only the head of his length inside her body. Instead, she pulled his face up for a passionate kiss, sweeping her tongue over his lower lip, before greedily drawing it into her mouth to suck on it. He groaned and tried to thrust up into her more fully, but she lifted slightly, denying him deeper entry. Breaking her devouring kiss, she looked down at him through long lashes, swollen lips curved in a sly smile. His own eyes were dark with lust, pupils blown wide.

_“Luce..._ gods, I need you so _bad...”_ he growled hoarsely as she moved above him, tantalizingly warm and wet, but not close enough to satisfy his overwhelming desire. Determined to put an end to her teasing, his fingers slid from her bottom to her hips, grasping them firmly.

“Take all of me,” he demanded, voice rough, as he plunged her down onto his cock, making them both moan with pleasure. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms tightly around her back as she began a steady glide up and down his shaft. He thrust into her from below, matching her rhythm.

Over time, they'd learned that water tended to wash away Lucy's natural lubricant, making penetration uncomfortable. But now, with her pussy wet from the earlier orgasm, and Natsu's bent knees lifted slightly behind her ass, his thighs held the blonde up out of the shallow water enough that she could slide up and down on him freely. Which she did, pink tips of her breasts brushing against him sensuously, provoking him to playfully nip and suck at them. Gradually, her hips began to roll more feverishly as he angled himself to hit that wondrous spot deep inside of her. She felt her back arching once more, hands roving from his chest to his shoulders, then up into his hair. Her fingers wound themselves into the damp strands, clenching as she neared her peak.

_“Ah..._ Natsu...” she whimpered, head thrown back. “I'm _so close...!”_

He kissed her throat, reaching down between their bodies to circle her swollen nub with his thumb. “Come for me, Luce,” he breathed.

The combination of his upward thrusts with her downward plunges, plus the delicious swirling motion he was making over her clit threw Lucy into a sudden, powerful orgasm. She wailed, spasming around him, but Natsu managed to swallow most of her cry, capturing the blonde's mouth with his own, free hand at the nape of her neck holding her tightly to him.

As she came down from her high, he released her, murmuring huskily, “Good girl...” Dropping his face to her breasts, he gripped her hips and began ramming her up and down on himself, faster and faster. Lucy stroked the muscles of his shoulders and back—whatever she could reach—as he gradually tensed beneath her.

Suddenly, he groaned, drawing the peak of her breast into his mouth to stifle the sounds of his own release as he bit down lightly on the plump flesh. His motions became erratic as he jerked, emptying himself into her. Eventually, he calmed, letting go of her nipple with a “pop” and rubbing his face against her softness, exhaling heavily.

“Ah, Luce... The things you do to me...” he sighed. “I never wanna stop touchin' ya.”

She smiled and hugged him to her more tightly. “Good, because I love the way you touch me.” Somewhat reluctant to release him, she leaned back slowly, kissing him once more before shifting off of his body. “But now, we should probably rinse off and get to bed.”

“Okay.”

Showering quickly, they mopped up the water they'd spilled with Natsu's towel—he didn't really need it, since he used his fire magic to dry himself instantly—then dressed for bed. In Natsu's case, this just meant throwing on a pair of black boxers, but he couldn't help gazing at Lucy as she slipped on her panties and pale blue nightie. Hurriedly running a comb through her wet hair, the blonde tried to ignore her boyfriend's roving hands as he stood behind her, watching her face in the mirror. He slid teasing fingers over her stomach, bringing them up to stroke her breasts through the silk. He dropped his face to her neck and inhaled a deep breath.

“Ah, Luce...you smell so good. You're making me wanna take you again right here in front of this mirror.”

Dropping her comb to the counter, she smiled and placed her hands over his own where they cupped her boobs. “I think we've had our fun for tonight. But you can definitely save that idea for later,” she winked. “Here, dry my hair and then let's go to bed. We have to get some sleep.” She moved his hands from her chest to her long, wet locks.

Kissing the side of her throat, he sighed in remorse, but did as she asked. When he finished running his fingers through the blonde strands, leaving them soft and shiny, she turned and kissed him tenderly. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

Taking him by the hand, she opened the bathroom door, turned out the light, and led him over to the bed.

“Happy's taken over one of the pillows,” Natsu noted quietly.

“You can share mine,” Lucy whispered. “You always end up curled around me anyway.”

He chuckled softly, “It's 'cause you're so squeezable, I just can't help myself.” He climbed into bed, then held the covers for her. She slipped in beside him, then turned, letting him spoon his legs behind her knees. His nose tucked in just behind her ear, and his arm drifted across her waist, hand reaching up to cup a breast possessively.

_“Mine,”_ he whispered, inhaling her sweet vanilla-and-honey scent. She relaxed against him and he barely heard her faint reply as he drifted off to sleep.

_“Always...”_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After a quick breakfast in the inn's small dining area the next morning, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy stood on the porch waiting for the Mayor's son to meet them. Although it was early, the sun was bright and unobscured by cloud cover.

“Gonna be a hot one today,” Natsu commented idly.

“Yeah,” Lucy sighed, reaching both hands behind her head to tighten the ebony ponytail ribbon that held her long, blonde hair off the back of her neck. The celestial mage's pale pink tank top and short, black miniskirt were lightweight, but she was already feeling the heat. “I hope it's not too far to the colony. It's already feeling sticky out here.”

Happy teased her. “You should be used to the heat by now, Lucy, since you and Natsu sleep together all the time.” He took wing and swept out of range of her half-hearted grab attempt.

“Ha ha,” she began, but was interrupted by the appearance of a boy dressed in a blue shirt and jean shorts at the foot of the steps.

“Hey,” said a familiar voice, “Sorry about yesterday. My dad says you're not actually going to hurt the anteaters, so I guess I'll help you out after all. My name's Robby.”

“You!” Lucy exclaimed, realizing at once why the mayor's eyes had seemed so familiar. “You're the mayor's son!”

Brown eyes assessed her narrowly. “Good job stating the obvious. Don't take this the wrong way, lady, but I hope you're better at figuring out mysteries than that.” He gave the three of them the once-over. “To be honest, none of you look all that clever to me.”

“Hey!” Lucy and Happy cried, affronted. Natsu merely smirked.

“Tough talk coming from a kid who tosses some acorns and runs away. We'll show ya what Fairy Tail mages can do, just wait and see!” He smacked a fist into the palm of his other hand, giving off a burst of flame.

“Hmph.” Robby turned and started walking in a westerly direction. “Well, come along then. The colony's this way,” he waved without looking back, setting off toward the fields on the outskirts of town.

The three mages glanced at each other, shrugged, then moved to follow him. Lucy hurried to catch up, asking, “So, Robby... Why don't you tell us what's really going on here? I think you know something the grownups don't.” She tried to appeal to his ego. Kids his age always enjoyed putting something over on adults, she reasoned.

He glanced at her, then looked away. “I dunno. The anteaters are mad about something, that's for sure. Maybe you can get them to calm down.”

“Why do you think they're upset?”

He shrugged. “I heard a little from one of them—something about their 'queen' going missing or something, but I don't really know the details.” He sped up and pulled a fair distance ahead of the celestial mage so she couldn't see his face.

“Huh.” She glanced at Happy and Natsu, who paced her. Happy rolled his eyes.

 _“Liar, liar, pants on fire,”_ he chanted under his breath as he fluttered in the air.

Natsu nodded. “Yeah, buddy, I hear ya.”

“Maybe you should make that happen, Natsu,” Happy suggested cheekily.

The Dragon Slayer's grin was evil. “Yeah, maybe then he'll tell us the truth.” He made as if to snap his fingers in the direction of Robby's fast-moving buttocks.

Lucy shook her head, palming the fire mage's hand with her own. “Let him be for now,” she advised. “We'll get some answers straight from the source soon enough.”

Just as she said it, a narrow band of trees serving as a windbreak for the town's crops came into view. Robby called back to them as he took off running, “It's this way! Come on!”

They chased after him, quickly closing the distance due to their longer strides. Happy surged ahead and landed on the branch of a maple tree. He sat, swinging his legs, while he waited for the group to enter the tree line.

“What took you so long?” he asked, as Robby, Lucy, and Natsu halted just below him. Only Lucy was breathing hard. “No fair,” she gasped, “You can fly!”

“Just because you're too heavy to run quickly doesn't make me being able to fly unfair, Lucy,” he chided her.

“Stuff it, cat, before I stuff you!” she shook a fist at him, then wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand.

“Quiet, you guys!” Robby shushed them. “The colony's just on the other side of this windbreak!”

“Let's see!” Natsu eagerly pushed ahead, nudging low branches aside as he moved into the trees. The strip of woodland was quite narrow and it didn't take him long to reach the other side. He crouched down behind some dense brush clustered between two sturdy tree trunks to survey the situation. Lucy and Happy settled beside him, the blue Exceed landing on his shoulder, claws digging into the fire mage's vest.

Robby spoke softly from behind them. “This is the time of day when they're usually settling down for sleep. They have a lot of thick fur, so it's too hot for them on days like this after the sun rises. Most of 'em will be underground by now in their nests.” He pointed to a small hill off to their right. “See the large hole in the side of that hill over there? That's one of the openings.”

“They have nests?” Happy asked. “Like birds?”

Robby shook his head. “They're really more like burrows. You know, like rabbits dig underground.” He snorted. “They don't have those claws for nothin'! I've heard their nests can be fairly elaborate, too. Like a maze of tunnels.” He shrugged. “They're good at digging, I guess. Rumors say they even have some kind of earth magic.”

“Earth magic, huh? Interesting,” Natsu said, then turned to Lucy. “So...whaddya think? The direct approach?”

She pursed her lips and thought a moment. “Before we try that, let me summon Virgo. She might be able to get a sense of the layout of the colony, since she's an earth spirit. Maybe she'll be able to tell if the Haverlys are being held down there somewhere.”

“Good plan,” Natsu nodded as the celestial mage reached for Virgo's golden key.

“Open, Gate of the Maiden!”

The doorbell tone sounded as a slender, pink-haired woman appeared, She was dressed in a maid's black uniform, complete with frilly white cap and apron, and white thigh-high stockings. Chains dangling from iron shackles around her slender wrists jangled as she crossed them over her chest and bowed. She asked, “Is it punishment time, Princess?”

Seeing Robby's wide-eyed stare, Lucy blushed and replied hastily, “No! Virgo, we need your help. Can you sense the lay of the earth under that hill over there? It's an anteater colony, but we want to know if there are any humans trapped inside. Do you think you can scout out the area from underground?”

The celestial spirit turned to look at the hill Lucy indicated. She closed her eyes and took a breath, sensing the earth beneath her feet. After a few moments, she opened her eyes.

“This entire area is a maze of tunnels, Princess. It might take some time to locate any people, especially if I'm to avoid being noticed. I can dig my way into the colony easily, but that makes an awful lot of noise underground. They'll be able to pinpoint my location whenever I dig.”

“Not if we make enough noise out here! C'mon, Happy!” Natsu cried, striding purposefully out of the trees toward the enormous hole in the hillside. “Let's go knock on their door and ask 'em what their problem is!”

“Natsu, wait!” Flailing to grab the back of his vest, Lucy hissed in frustration as she missed and lost her balance, catching herself against a tree with both hands. Recovering quickly, she turned back to Virgo. “Start on the outskirts and find a way in, then try to sneak around as much as you can. Come find me if you discover anything. Good luck!”

“As you wish, Princess,” Virgo replied, then added, “It will take some time, but do not worry.” The pink-haired spirit quickly spun herself like a drill bit and dug a hole straight down into the earth, disappearing from view.

“Wow!” Robby exclaimed, awed.

Lucy turned to him and placed her palms on his shoulders. “You stay here where it's safe, okay? There's no telling how they'll react to Natsu's 'direct approach,'” she muttered, grimacing. Releasing him, she hurried after the impulsive Dragon Slayer who was standing at the lip of the colony opening. Happy fluttered in the air beside him.

The fire mage hollered down the tunnel, “Hey, anteaters! We're mages from Fairy Tail. We wanna talk to ya!”

“Natsu! Remember to be polite! We don't know what's going on here yet,” she cautioned.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Before he could say more, two hulkingly huge, furry beasts with long noses poked their heads out of the opening. They were mostly tan and brown in color, but as they emerged from the tunnel, Lucy could see a narrow band of black fur streaking along their sides. Their extremities, including their long, featherlike tails, sported tufts of soft, white fur underneath, giving them a fluffy appearance that was somewhat cute, despite their intimidating size. She supposed the color variation acted to break up their overall shape as they searched the fields and shadowy forest for insects; it was a type of camouflage used to great effect by other animals, such as tigers and leopards. However, the anteaters were so enormous, Lucy couldn't, for the life of her, see how such an adaptation really helped them all that much.

 _“Hoomansss...”_ one of them growled. “What you do here? You come to give Lady Vree back to u _sss?”_ The creature's long tongue drew out the sibilant sounds in his speech.

Before Natsu could reply, Lucy held out an arm in front of him. “A-Actually, the hooman _sss_ —I mean, _humans_ —from Peace Village asked us to talk with you. They don't understand why you're angry. They want to—”

Before she could finish explaining, the anteater who had spoken cut her off angrily. _“Hoomansss give back Lady Vree!_ We keep your people until you give her _back!”_

Before Lucy could formulate a response to this demand, four more giant anteaters appeared behind the first two who had stomped out into the clearing. Warily, the Fairy Tail mages gave ground as six anteaters reared up on their back legs, each standing roughly ten feet tall. Their fur bristled as they snarled and shook clawed fists at the intruders.

“Who is Lady Vree?!” Lucy frantically tried to ask, barely leaping back out of the way as one of the goliaths pounded his fist into the dirt in front of her feet.

“She our new queen! Old queen dead. Lady Vree our new queen! _You give her back!”_ Enraged, the anteater swatted a clawed paw at the celestial mage, only to meet Natsu's fist instead. He shoved the creature back and away from Lucy.

“Back off! We don't have your queen! But we'll help you find her! Just calm down!”

“No! Hooman _sss_ not tell truth! We _ss_ aw her with your young one! Now give her _back!”_

The anteaters moved as a group to encircle the mages. Happy swooped up to hover above them in the sky, just out of reach. A couple of the creatures leaped and tried to swipe at him, but fortunately for the Exceed, their size and weight made them poor jumpers and no match for Happy's agility in the air. Lucy started to reach for one of her celestial keys, then paused. In excitement, she gasped, “That's it! That's a great idea for my story! I should write it down...” She reached for the bag that held her notepad, then squealed as a long, sticky tongue reached out and wrapped itself around her upper thigh from behind. The strong muscle lifted her off the ground as she flailed her arms wildly.

 _“Gaahh!_ Don't touch me there! Careful with your tongue!” she screamed.

Natsu dodged a punch from the enraged anteater in front of him then leaped to help her. “Lucy! Focus on the job! Now is _not_ the time for writing!”

Facing down the beast whose tongue had captured his teammate and was currently shaking her like a rag doll, he jumped into the air and landed a solid downwards kick right on its snout, forcing the anteater to drop her. “Hey!” he shouted at it. “Only my tongue gets to touch her there! So let go, ya jerk!”

Landing on her hands and knees, Lucy flushed in embarrassment. She shook her fist at the fire mage. “You idiot! Don't tell them that!”

He quirked a devilish grin at her. “Well, it's true anyway.”

“You don't have to say it!” she shrieked, face cherry red.

Happy swooped above them both, cackling. He called down in a sing-song voice, paw over his smirking mouth, _“Natsu and Lucy wanna dooooooo it!”_ An anteater tried to snatch the Exceed out of the air with his long, sticky tongue, narrowly missing the giggling cat.

“Shut it, you!” Lucy screeched.

Natsu laughed as he deflected another blow from one of the huge beasts. His girlfriend really was far too easy to tease.

Suddenly, the earth rumbled ominously beneath their feet. Belatedly, Lucy realized three of the anteaters had disappeared. She stood up, suddenly uneasy. “Natsu... I think maybe we should g-go... _Wahhhh!”_ Abruptly, the ground opened up beneath the blonde's feet and swallowed her whole.

“Lucy!” Natsu cried as he dove for her, just missing her fingertips as the earth collapsed underneath him as well. Happy, reacting quickly, dove and barely managed to snag the Dragon Slayer by the back of his vest and haul him up out of the pit.

“Lucy!” Natsu strained in the Exceed's grasp. He was about to insist that Happy let go of him when the ground rippled suddenly, like water, closing over the gaping hole in the earth.

 _“Lucy!”_ he screamed.

“Natsu, quit struggling or I'm gonna drop you!” Happy cried anxiously, fighting to keep them both out of reach of the tongues that were lancing out at them from three different directions. The trio of anteaters remaining hadn't given up hope of catching their fast-moving target.

The fire mage's thoughts raced frantically. Maybe if he melted a hole in the ground he could reach her...? Before he could put his desperate thoughts into action, one of the anteaters poked its head and upper body out of a freshly dug hole. It spoke.

“We keep your queen until you give our _sss_ back, hooman. We not hurt her. But you leave. Now.” He crossed his large, furred arms over his chest, black claws gleaming in the sunlight. Several more anteaters had emerged from the hillside. They stood on their back legs bristling with anger.

 _To hell with that,_ Natsu thought as he inhaled, preparing to drop a Fire Dragon King Roar on all their heads. Happy, guessing his intentions, urgently hissed in his ear, “Don't forget Virgo! She's down there! She'll help Lucy! I'm pretty sure Lucy wouldn't want us to hurt them. You know she's weird like that. Let's just retreat for now.”

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Natsu yanked harshly on his salmon-colored locks, then roared in anguish, releasing a stream of fire into the sky. He knew Happy was right, but damn it! He didn't have to like it! Scowling, he growled unhappily, but relaxed in the Exceed's grip, no longer trying to break free.

 _“Argh!_ As much as I hate to admit it, Happy, she _is_ weird like that. We'll just have to trust she and Virgo can escape or something. We'll leave for now.”

He shot a heated glare at the anteater spokesman. “Understand that I'm only backing off 'cause the people of this town say you anteaters aren't violent. So don't prove 'em wrong! You better not harm a single hair on Lucy's head! I'll make sure ya regret it if ya do!” he snarled, blasting a fireball into the ground below, causing the hulking beasts to jump back in panic. Frowning, Natsu added, “And keep your tongues to yourselves!” He shook a flaming fist at them as Happy whisked him up and away, heading back toward the tree line.

As they neared the woods, Natsu's sharp eyes spotted Robby hiding in the branches of a tree. “Take me to that kid, Happy. I've had enough of his beatin' around the bush! He knows way more than he's lettin' on, and I'm gonna get it outta him.”

“Aye, Sir!” the blue, winged cat agreed, flying directly to the leafy maple tree.

Robby, seeing the determined look in the fire mage's eyes, sighed. “I guess you want some answers, huh?” He began carefully making his way down to the ground. “Sorry your friend got caught. They won't hurt her though, so don't worry. Follow me. I'll take you to someone who can answer all of your questions.”

“It's about damn time.” Natsu growled as Happy released him so he could walk beside Robby. The boy threaded his way through the trees quickly, heading away from the colony, but not back east toward town.

“Where are we going?” Happy wanted to know.

“To my secret hiding place. You'll see. It's only a bit farther.”

Natsu narrowed his eyes. “And why are we going there?”

Robby looked away. “You'll understand when we get there. Once you meet her.”

“Her?”

He bit his lip. “Lady Vree.”

Natsu and Happy stared at each other, eyes wide. After a moment, Natsu grumbled, “All right, brat. This had better be good.”

XXX

When the ground disappeared suddenly beneath Lucy's feet, it was all she could do to keep her stomach from climbing out of her throat as she fell. Instinctively, she reached for Aries' key, but before she could draw breath to summon the ram spirit and her fluffy wool, a long, sticky tongue shot out from a side tunnel and wrapped around her waist, halting the celestial mage's downward plunge. The abrupt cessation of motion forced the breath from her lungs and she hung, helpless and gasping, as the giant anteater began to reel her in.

With its claws dug into the edges of the tunnel wall so as to avoid being pulled into the abyss, the creature maneuvered Lucy to solid ground. Dropping her lightly to the earth, the anteater retracted its tongue as the blonde frantically scrambled backwards, away from both the huge animal and the edge of the drop. She had no idea how far the hole into which she'd fallen extended, and she had no intention of finding out!

The creature who'd snatched her from free fall made no move to approach her. Which was good, because she could barely see in the low light. There was apparently some type of moss on the tunnel walls that glowed ever so faintly, but if she had to dodge or run at all, she'd be in trouble. The anteater dropped down onto all fours, then sat back on its haunches after releasing her.

 _Almost as if he's trying to make himself look smaller and less threatening,_ Lucy thought, surprised. While she was trying to decide what this meant, the anteater spoke. His voice, while pitched low, was gentle.

“Hooman, no fear. I not hurt you.” Calmly, he waited for her to respond.

After a moment, the blonde ventured tentatively, “W-Who are you? Why did you save me?”

“My name Benno,” he replied. “Caught you _ss_ o you not get hurt. Your people thi _ss_ way. Follow.” Slowly, the anteater rose and trundled past the stunned mage on all fours, giving her as wide a berth as the diameter of the tunnel allowed. After he passed, Lucy cautiously stood, but didn't move to accompany him. She could barely see his large shape in the gloom, and he was less than ten meters away! When the giant anteater reached a fork in the tunnel, he turned back to look at her. He seemed to sense her hesitation.

“Plea _ssse,_ come. I not hurt you.”

Lucy nodded. “I believe you. But I can't see well down here. I need light. Can I summon a friend to help me?”

The anteater looked at her curiously, but said nothing. He merely waited.

“Open, Gate of the Lion!” Lucy called, sagging with relief as Leo appeared with the doorbell tone of his gate opening.

“You rang, Lucy? Wow, it's dark in here! Let me help you out,” the orange-maned man offered before she could ask, snapping his fingers. A glowing orb of golden light hung just above his shoulder. “The better to see your beautiful face.”

She rolled her eyes at his cheesy pick-up line—some things never changed, and a flirty Loke was one of them. But at least she could see his suit-clad form clearly. She smiled. “Thanks, Loke.” She gestured to the anteater, “This is Benno. He's taking me to our missing farmers.” She spoke to the huge creature at the end of the tunnel. “Benno, this is my friend, Loke. He's the celestial spirit, Leo. He'll make us some light.”

“Hello,” Loke greeted him cheerily. “I've never had the pleasure of meeting a giant anteater before. Nice to meet you.”

The anteater sniffed the air, then chuffed a shy greeting that almost sounded like a cough. His eyes reflected the light with an eerie green glow and he squinted. If the glare bothered him, he didn't complain. He merely nodded, then turned away. “You come, hooman _ss._ I take you to other hooman _ss.”_ He veered down the right-hand fork in the tunnel.

This galvanized Lucy and Loke into motion, and they hurried to catch up with him, golden glow of the light hovering just above Loke's shoulder. It cast flickering shadows against the moss-speckled walls of the tunnel. Reaching out a hand to the wall's surface, Lucy could feel that it was slightly curved, rather than flat, and seemed oddly smooth, except for the occasional mossy patches. The tunnel was of a good size, too—spacious enough for two anteaters to pass each other. She and Loke had plenty of room to walk side-by-side. The air was cool, and Lucy could see why the anteaters preferred to be underground during the heat of the day. She actually found herself wishing for a light sweater to put on over her tank top. Involuntarily, she shivered.

Loke noticed. “Here you go, Princess. Take my jacket for now.”

Gratefully, she smiled and thanked him, sliding her arms into the too-long sleeves of the black suit jacket and wrapping it around herself. What she wouldn't give for Natsu's warmth right now! She set about rolling up the sleeves as they walked.

Silently, they followed Benno, taking several more turns and traversing the lengths of more tunnels. Although Lucy was hopelessly lost, she felt certain they were slowly moving upwards, toward the surface, although she wasn't entirely sure how she knew. A lightness in the air, perhaps? Or a slight elevation in her gait? Possibly. They'd bypassed several smaller side paths in the last couple of tunnels, with openings that appeared to be wide enough for single-file passage only. Vaguely, Lucy could hear the shifting and snuffling (was that snoring?) of large bodies, and she wondered if those paths led to the sleeping areas.

Eventually, at the end of a long tunnel, Benno came to a halt. Confused, Lucy and Loke came to stand beside him, staring at a smooth wall of earth. It appeared as though they'd reached a dead end. Before Lucy could ask where they were, Benno reared up on his back legs and sank his claws effortlessly into the earthen wall like it was liquid. With one long pull, he caused the wall to flow down onto the tunnel floor in one smooth stream, as if it were a river of chocolate. Jumping back to avoid the unexpected rush of liquefied dirt over her white tennis shoes, Lucy stared at him, agape.

“You're using magic! That was earth magic!” she cried, astonished.

Before the giant anteater could reply, she was surprised to hear someone call out to her in excitement.

“Princess! You're here already? I just arrived.”

The celestial mage whirled back to the now-open doorway in surprise and happiness. Virgo was here, too! Before anyone could react, Lucy grabbed Loke's hand and pressed past Benno into what looked like a good-sized den or burrow. The floor on the right was lined with straw, soft fur, and other nesting material. From the left wall jutted a rectangular table with two backless benches on either side of it, all sculpted from earth. At the back of the cozy space stood three people besides Virgo: a man, and two women. The celestial spirit had tunneled in through the back wall, piling up a small mound of dirt beneath the opening where she'd burst through.

“Virgo, I'm so glad you're here!” Lucy turned to the other people who were huddled together. “Are you the Haverlys? Are you all okay?”

The man, a middle-aged fellow dressed in overalls and a plaid shirt nodded. “Yes, ma'am. I'm Bob Haverly. This is my wife, Mellie, and my daugher, Tessie.” They nodded shyly at the blonde as he continued. “We're all fine, although we'd like to get out of here, that's for sure. Benno does the best he can to bring us food and water, but we're getting mighty tired of eating fruit and grubs.” The man nodded at the giant anteater, who shuffled his paws over his snout. Lucy thought he looked embarrassed. “Can we go home now? Have you come to lead us out of here, Miss...uh?”

“Lucy,” she supplied, glancing at Benno warily. “My name is Lucy and I'm a mage from Fairy Tail. This is Loke. He and Virgo are my friends. They're celestial spirits.” She nodded at the pink-haired maid. “Mayor Whitmore sent us to see what happened to you. I'm happy to see everyone is okay.” She made a snap decision and turned to the anteater who stood filling the doorway he'd created.

“Benno... I believe you don't want to hurt anyone. Would you be willing to let the Haverlys leave with Virgo? The townsfolk don't have Lady Vree. They were telling the truth about that. They don't want to hurt you either. They only want their people back. If you let the Haverlys go, Loke and I will stay and try to help you find your missing queen. Natsu and Happy will help, too, once they know I'm okay.”

Benno thought about this as he rubbed a large clawed paw over his face. He seemed almost ashamed as he sighed, blowing a large gust of air from his elongated snout. Dropping back onto all fours, he rumbled, “Benno told Gorm let people go, but Gorm no li _ss_ ten. Gorm angry. I let people go, Gorm be _more_ angry.” He paused to think about that some more as Lucy took a step closer to him. Hesitantly, she reached out to rest a palm against his broad, furry shoulder.

“I promise, Benno. We'll help you find your queen. Please, just let the Haverlys go.” She looked into his dark eyes, willing him to believe her.

Finally, he sighed once more and nodded. “I let people go. You help me.” He looked at Mr. Haverly. _“Sss_ orry again. We no mean hurt to you. Tell your people. Only want queen back.” The farmer smiled with relief. “No worries, Benno. I'll tell Mayor Whitmore. Thanks for feeding us, and thank you for letting us go. I hope you find your queen soon.” As he finished speaking, Lucy nodded to Virgo, who moved to lead them back through the tunnel she'd made. Before she could enter it, Benno shifted suddenly, laying a paw against the earth.

“Wait. Benno will make better path for hooman _sss.”_

So saying, the behemoth closed his eyes and appeared to snuffle at the opening Virgo had made. Lucy and the others watched in amazement as the small hole gradually morphed into a person-sized tunnel. After several long moments, Benno sighed and sat back on his haunches. “There. Better path. Now you go. Take care.”

Virgo turned to him and smiled. “You're a Shaper. How wonderful!”

“A Shaper?” Lucy asked, curious. Benno shrugged and brushed his paws over his snout. If Lucy didn't know better, he seemed almost embarrassed at the attention.

“Yes. They are very rare and are said to have a special bond with the earth. I didn't know it was a skill animals could possess.” She glanced at Loke, who shrugged, then she gave Benno a smile. “Thank you. It will be much easier to take them home now. Please take care of my Mistress in the meantime.”

The anteater nodded shyly, but didn't speak.

Lucy grasped Virgo's shoulder before she could leave. “Virgo, after you see them home safely, please find Natsu and tell him I'm okay. If I know him—and I do—he'll be going crazy with worry. I don't want him busting in here and setting the whole place on fire!”

“Yes, Mistress. I'll find him right away. Then I'll go back to the celestial realm before you exhaust yourself. Good luck!” She smiled at Lucy's “thank you” and turned to lead the Haverlys into the tunnel. The celestial mage turned back to her furry...companion? She couldn't really see him as a captor anymore.

“All right, Benno,” she asked quietly, “Can you tell us why Gorm believes the people of the town took your queen?”

Benno nodded. “Gorm _ss_ ay he ssaw Lady Vree with boy from town. They run from Gorm. Gorm give cha _ssse,_ but no find. Later, Gorm take Garm and Reider to farm to look for Lady Vree. They no find, but take people in _ss_ tead. I _ss_ no good. Make _sss_ much trouble for everyone.” He shook his head sadly. “Me tell Gorm, but Gorm _ss_ tubborn. He no li _ss_ ten.” He sighed again, then looked hopefully at the Fairy Tail mages. “You help? Find Lady Vree? She run away, Benno think _sss_. She no want become queen.”

Lucy paused at this. “She doesn't want to become your queen? You think she ran away on purpose?”

Benno rubbed his snout with a paw. “New queen mu _sss_ t marry. Lady Vree no want to marry Gorm, _sss_ o she run away.”

“She has to marry _Gorm?”_ Lucy was shocked. Given Gorm's overreaction toward the townfolk and Benno's description of his personality and unwillingness to listen to reason, she had a feeling she could see why Lady Vree might not be eager to marry him.

“Well...no,” Benno replied slowly. “She queen. She no _hasss_ to do anything. But queen need mate. For young. To make new queen for future. No young, i _ss_ bad for all of u _sss.”_ He shrugged, then added, “Queen can choo _sse_ other mate, but then that one have to fight Gorm. We no like fighting. Make _sss_ bad blood. Many trouble _sss.”_

Lucy thought about that for awhile. She asked, “Does Lady Vree want to marry someone else, you think?”

Benno sucked in a lungful of air through his snout and rubbed it with both paws. Lucy recognized this as his embarrassed gesture. He closed his eyes and grumbled softly, “Don't know. She not tell Benno. She only get mad and leave.”

With sudden insight, Lucy realized Benno had been hurt by this. _Well, well, well..._

A glance at Loke's small smile as he stroked his chin confirmed her hunch. Deciding to take another tack, she asked, “Benno... Are there many Shapers like you? Can all anteaters do what you do?”

He looked up at that. She thought she saw pride in his dark eyes.

“No. Almost all have _ss_ ome _ss_ mall power, but not many like me. Lady Vree _ss_ trong, too. We work together. Build many ne _sstss_ for colony. Gorm can do it, but not well. He not patient enough. Earth i _ss_ _sss_ low to call. _Sss_ low to move. Need to be calm. Patient. Or make earth angry. Gorm better at digging.”

 _Better and better,_ Lucy thought. An idea was forming in her head. She knew what it was like to fall in love, after all. But first, she had to be sure she was reading the situation correctly. Gently, she nudged the behemoth beside her.

“Benno... Do you...love...Lady Vree?”

At first, she thought he wouldn't answer, but after a moment, he dropped his head and sighed. “Ye _sss...”_

 _I can work with this,_ Lucy thought, and smiled.

XXX

“And that' _sss_ why I ran away,” the presumptive queen of the anteaters explained. She curled up into a ball—well, a boulder, anyway—and waited for Natsu to respond to her tale.

Slightly smaller than the male anteaters they'd met, Lady Vree was of similar coloration, all except for the tannish-colored spikes that trailed down her spine and prehensile tail. They looked both sharp and deadly, just like her claws. Inwardly, Natsu wondered how anyone could force Lady Vree to do _anything_ she didn't want to do, let alone _marry_ someone she didn't want to marry—not with weapons like those at her disposal. He glanced at Happy, who sat beside him on the ground.

Robby knelt across from them, slightly in front of Lady Vree, as if ready to defend her. He fingered a couple of acorns in his right hand nervously. He could tell the fire mage was still upset about his partner being captured. He hoped the man wouldn't refuse to help Lady Vree because of it. Even so, Robby had led the Fairy Tail mages to his hideout across the river, just past the Haverlys' farm. Hidden in the brush of some uncleared woodlands, he'd explained that Lady Vree had used her Shaping magic to carve out the small burrow in which they now sat.

It was an excellent hiding spot, and he was rather proud of it, to be honest. Despite Natsu's having pointed out that the anteaters had likely lost Lady Vree's scent once she'd crossed over the moving water of the river, and that was why they'd believed the Haverlys had something to do with her disappearance. Since they lived nearby, Gorm had probably assumed the farmers were hiding her. Guiltily, Robby hadn't given a single thought to that risk at the time. He'd only wanted to help his friend.

Natsu, instinctively understanding this, had already forgiven the boy. The Dragon Slayer's temper had calmed considerably—although he was still anxious. He fervently hoped Lucy was okay.

 _She better be,_ he though darkly, frowning. He wondered if she and Virgo had found the Haverlys yet. Robby cut in on his thoughts.

“So, will you help her? She doesn't want to marry Gorm; she wants to marry Benno. But Gorm is kind of pushy, I guess. And Benno doesn't like to fight. He's always so calm and reasonable.”

“Too calm and rea _ss_ onable if you a _ss_ k me,” Lady Vree cut in, annoyed.

Robby glanced at her before adding, “Personally, I think Benno would make a good king. Better than Gorm, anyway.”

Happy sang in a sing-song voice, “She _liiiiiiiiiiiikes_ him!” making the female anteater shuffle her paws over her snout as she curled into an even-tighter ball.

Natsu cracked a grin. “You've missed that joke, haven't you, Happy? Been waitin' for the perfect time to use it again, I bet.”

Giggling from behind his paw, Happy raised his other paw in the air. “Guilty!”

The pink-haired Dragon Slayer looked back at Lady Vree. “The real question is, does Bennie know ya like him? And that ya wanna marry him?”

Happy poked his side and hissed, “It's Benno, not Bennie!”

The future queen closed her eyes. Her eyelashes were dark and long.

In a small voice, she answered, “I do not know. I thought _ss_ o, but then he not _sss_ ay anything when my mother...” she sniffled and blinked rapidly then continued, “when Queen Ava died. Gorm _sss_ ay he want to marry me, and Benno only _ss_ tand there, tongue hanging...” her voice rose in sudden anger, “like...like...idiot!” She huffed. _“Ss_ o I run away.”

“Maybe he doesn't know you like him?” Happy pointed out. “If you never told him, that is. Guys can be dumb like that.” He gestured at his partner. “Just look at Natsu here. Even though I _told_ him over and over again, he didn't have a clue Lucy liked him until she kissed him!” He leapt into the air cackling, avoiding Natsu's grab attempt.

The fire mage flushed, retorting sharply, “That's not true, Happy! I-I knew!”

The Exceed wasn't having it. “Oh, _reeeally?_ Then why did _she_ have to make the first move? You told me _she_ kissed _you._ Not the other way around.”

“Th-That was j-just...because...you know...” He spluttered, “I-It was the night before the war, okay? I wasn't gonna tell her then! The timing was bad!”

The blue cat grinned as he drifted to the ground next to Lady Vree. “Sure, Natsu. You _say_ that, but Lucy told me she also said 'I love you' first, too, back when you were transformed into E.N.D.” He nodded sagely. “Yep. Some guys are dumb.”

“I-I was gonna tell her that first night!” Natsu swore, defending himself. “But the bells rang and we had to go fight! That's the truth—you were there, you should know!” He flailed his arms, appealing to the Exceed, who only tsked and shook his head sadly.

“Poor Lucy... It must have been tough on her.” The gleam in his eyes betrayed his silent mirth.

Lady Vree looked back and forth between the two bickering friends. Her dark eyes settled on the blushing Dragon Slayer and she snuffled softly. “I _sss_ ee...” She looked at Happy. “Thank you.” She appeared to think some more, then rose from her crouched position on the earthen floor. Her spiked tail, more agile than the male anteaters' tails they'd seen, curled beside her back leg to avoid dragging on the ground. “I know what I mu _ss_ t do. We mu _ss_ t go back.”

Robby scrambled to his feet as Natsu stood, running a hand through his messy locks. His face was still slightly pink. “You gonna tell him, huh? Good plan. We'll come with you. I wanna get Lucy back from those guys.”

“Yeah,” Happy said. “I wonder if they made her eat any bugs?” His face screwed up and he shuddered, imagining such a fate.

“Do not worry. Benno i _ss_ there. He not let her come to harm,” Lady Vree assured them. “He very kind. Like _sss_ hooman _sss._ Robby know _sss.”_ She gestured at the boy beside her. “Now come. We go home.”


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Well, crap,_ Lucy thought as she hovered near Benno's left shoulder. She'd dismissed Leo back to the celestial realm—after returning his jacket—to ease the drain on her power once they'd reached the surface. She and Benno had been making their way south, toward the Haverly farm, having emerged from a separate tunnel exit. They'd hoped to pick up Lady Vree's scent, or possibly run into Natsu and Happy along the way. They'd _really_ wanted to avoid encountering other anteaters. At the sudden, unwelcome appearance of three of the creatures at the main colony entrance, her companion had halted, shielding her with his large body.

_Looks like our luck has run out._

“Gorm,” Benno acknowledged the anteater leading the trio. He stayed on all fours—trying not to escalate the situation, Lucy guessed. The other anteaters exuded tension and anger, although the celestial mage sensed a certain wariness in the posture of the latter two. They remained low to the ground, crouched behind their leader. She wasn't positive, but she thought Gorm might be the same anteater who'd aggressively answered Natsu's challenge earlier. When he spoke, she recognized his voice.

“Benno!” he snarled, furious. “What you do?! Why letting hooman out _ss_ ide?!” He stood on his back legs, arms crossed. His two companions looked uncomfortable, glancing at Benno and then each other. Lucy wondered at their behavior until it came to her that they were...afraid?...of Benno.

This surprised her. Based on her own interactions, the celestial mage could imagine Benno being well-liked, and even respected for being an Earth-Shaper. Aside from his claws and huge size, which all anteaters possessed—at least, the ones she'd seen—it hadn't occurred to Lucy that he might also be feared. Although she supposed his ability to control and manipulate the earth to such a great extent might well frighten those of the colony with lesser gifts, particularly since they dwelt almost entirely underground.

She could understand it—but only barely.

Benno's personality was clearly that of a peacemaker and entirely devoid of malice. It probably didn't sit well with the other two anteaters to see Gorm challenge him so openly.

Several more anteaters appeared from the main tunnel to see what all the noise was about. Some were slightly smaller than others, and sported lighter coloration down their shoulders and backs. And...were those... _spikes?_ Lucy was too far away to tell, but wondered if these new anteaters were females. Her attention was dragged back to Benno as he replied to the other anteater's verbal challenge.

“I _ss_ wrong, Gorm. Hooman _ss_ not take Lady Vree. I let them go. I tell you already. Lady Vree run away. No one _take_ her.” He shook his head. “You know thi _ss_ to be true. Boy _ss_ mall. He not take her if she not want to go. They are friend _sss.”_

The agitated anteater's snout pursed in what Lucy assumed was a frown. “Why she leave with boy? She queen. She belong here. Why leave?”

Benno said nothing for a long moment. He sighed, brushing a paw over his snout. “Gorm. I think she not want to marry.” Tactfully, he left the “you” unspoken.

Gorm heard it anyway. His long, ebony claws flexed as he growled.

“I not blind like newborn pup. I _ss_ ee... Lady Vree want to marry you!” he snarled. “But you not _ss_ peak! You not deserve her! She run away because of you!”

Benno's shoulders drooped and he lowered his head, sighing, “You right, Gorm. I-I should have _ss_ poken. Let her choo _sse._ I not as brave as you.” He shrugged, then continued, “But keeping hooman not right. It not bring her back.” He gestured at Lucy. “We go to find her. Bring her home. Then she choo _sse._ Is be _ss_ t way,” he added reasonably.

The celestial mage tensed as she watched the other anteater's jaw work. Gorm's frustration was clearly evident. He wanted a fight, and she feared no reasonable words of Benno's would sway him. Before she could warn her new friend, Gorm dropped to all fours and seemed to strain at the ground, snarling all the while.

She felt Benno widen his stance. He cautioned her, “Stay clo _ssse,_ hooman. He will try, but he not take control from me.”

Before she could ask what he meant, the ground between the two anteaters rippled, like waves in the ocean, traveling from Gorm to Benno. The swelling upsurge petered out as it neared Benno, dissipating harmlessly into the unaffected ground beneath their feet. Although Lucy proactively reached out a hand to Benno's shoulder to steady herself, she hadn't felt a single tremor.

In annoyance, Gorm snarled and tried again, releasing a series of stronger waves, only to have them nullified once more as they neared his rival. This time, Benno pushed lightly with his power, sending one of the smaller waves back towards Gorm and his fellows. Unprepared for the maneuver, they stumbled slightly, before Gorm exerted his magic, stabilizing the ground beneath their feet.

“Gorm, _ss_ top thi _sss,”_ Benno urged. “We not need to fight. It not bring Lady Vree back.”

With rising anger and embarrassment, Gorm glanced at the anteaters who'd gathered to watch. Stubbornly, he rose up on his hind legs and snapped at his companions, “Garm, Reider! You help!”

They flinched at his harsh tone. One of them—Garm?—objected.

“B-But Benno _ss_ trong! Our magic not enough, Gorm,” he whined.

Reider agreed. “We not want to fight Benno!”

This only infuriated the anteater further. “You my litter mate _sss!_ You help now!” he roared.

Cowering at Gorm's aggressive display, Garm spread his paws over the ground gingerly. Lucy thought his claws penetrated the surface as he concentrated. Reider reluctantly crouched beside him, adding his own efforts. Satisfied, Gorm dropped back to all fours and called earth again, melding their powers with his own.

“You not _ss_ top thi _sss_ one, Benno,” he growled darkly.

“On my back, hooman. Quickly,” Benno urged her. She did as he bid, scrambling atop his broad back, settling just behind his shoulder blades. She gripped soft fur in her fists as the ground beneath them began to rumble and shake. The area of effect quickly widened, making the ring of watching anteaters stumble and hug the ground. Lucy heard branches from the windbreak at her back shiver violently. A loud crash, like a tree falling, startled her, but she was too busy clinging to a lurching Benno to turn around and look. The tremors increased in strength and power, rumbling alarmingly.

Benno cried out in anger. “Gorm! You fool! You cause earthquake! Ne _sstss_ below! Young one _sss!_ Help me!” he demanded, crouching belly to earth. He struggled to force the shaking ground to still.

Garm and Reider, appalled at what they'd done, lifted their paws and backed away, terrified. Gorm, eyes wide and frightened, shook himself, then dug his claws deep into the ground and strained, trying to assist Benno in calming the earth. Some few other anteaters also dropped to all fours, channeling whatever power they had into the ground.

“Protect ne _sstss!”_ Benno urged them. At his words, Garm and Reider cast off their momentary paralysis and bent to lend whatever aid they could muster.

Lucy, thinking quickly, held onto Benno with one hand while the earth bucked and heaved. She pulled Gemini's key from her pouch with the other.

“Open, Gate of the Twins!”

The doorbell tone sounded and another Benno appeared.

“Help us!” Lucy cried. “Stop the earthquake!”

“Piri piri!” the copy of Benno squeaked, then crouched and lowered it's head, concentrating. Lucy's Benno stiffened in surprise at the appearance of the new Benno, then huffed approvingly and bent once more to the task at hand. In short order, the quakes began to subside, although smaller tremors still swept the area. The trees behind them had ceased thrashing at any rate, which Lucy took as a good sign.

Just as she began to relax, the center of the clearing suddenly crumpled inward with a vast roar of dirt and dust! It was the gaping hole into which she'd fallen earlier, only it was much larger this time. With horror, she realized the walls of the pit had collapsed down into the tunnels below, widening the opening into a chasm! Feeling sick, she recalled the soft sounds of snoring she'd heard a mere half an hour ago.

Benno, growling with immense effort, closed his eyes and forced his claws deep into the earth. So deep, she felt his front paws sink a few inches. Gemini and the other anteaters did the same. To Lucy, they appeared almost frozen, like statues stuck in cement. Only Gemini's concentrated drain on the celestial mage's power, and the labored breathing of the anteater beneath her, betrayed the vast magical effort being expended.

Slowly but surely, the Earth Shapers coaxed the walls of the chasm to stabilize, halting the deadly collapse. More anteaters poured out from underground, some carrying little ones that clung to their fur, too young to walk. Those that were able, crouched and added their strength to the efforts. A few aftershocks rippled unsteadily through the earth as the colony worked together, seeking to soothe it.

Awestruck, Lucy watched until she heard Natsu calling her name. She turned to see the Dragon Slayer running towards her, a female anteater loping at his side.

“Natsu!” she cried. Suddenly, she swayed, light-headed and pale.

“Piri piri!” Gemini cried in distress. With a shower of golden sparks, the celestial dual spirit disappeared, as Lucy, almost entirely drained of power, slid sideways off of Benno's broad back, hands clutching uselessly at his fur, much too weak to stop her fall.

Fortunately, Natsu reached her just in time, catching the exhausted mage before she hit the ground. “Gotcha, Luce!” He grinned, lifting her in his arms, then lurching as an aftershock rumbled through the clearing.

Face pale and sweating, she struggled to pull Gemini's key from her pouch once more, “N-Natsu... The nests... I have to...” Her hand and arm shook. She'd kept Leo and Virgo out for too long, and Gemini's Benno had nearly drained her of power.

“Do not worry, hooman.” A soft voice chuffed near her ear. “I help Benno now. You re _sss_ t.”

Lucy struggled to keep her eyes open, wanting to see the anteater who could only be Lady Vree. Natsu had found her! Obligingly, he shifted so she could observe the queen and Benno, side-by-side, as they lowered their heads to the ground. The aura of power around them practically glowed as they melded their magic with that of the other anteaters. The queen took two steps forward, directing the vast array out and downward, into the earth.

For a few tense moments, nothing happened.

Then slowly, a low rumbling from deep underground echoed until the walls of the chasm began to soften and flow together, like two streams merging into a single, mud-colored river. Gradually, the gaping wound in the earth began to close. Lady Vree—the queen—Lucy reminded herself, waited a few extra heartbeats before lifting her paws from the ground and sitting back on her haunches. This signaled to the other anteaters that they, too, could finally relax.

Benno, exhausted, slumped down onto his belly right where he was, too tired to move. The queen turned to look at him.

“Benno. You are well?”

He inhaled a large breath through his snout, then blew it out in a long sigh.

“I am. Only tired.” He paused, then added. “Welcome home.” More softly, “I-I mi _s-ss_ ed you.” He stumbled over the sibilance, and Lucy swore the queen smiled.

“Benno,” she said, taking pity on him, “I would marry you. D-Do you want to marry me?” She waited, long lashes hiding the anxiety she certainly must have felt, although the slight stutter she gave was its only sign.

Shocked, he looked at her, tongue hanging. After a moment, he swallowed, then nodded. “Ye _ssss...”_

She blinked, as the corners of her mouth turned up in what surely was a smile.

“Good,” was all she said.

XXX

“Well, that mission sure was a let-down,” Natsu complained as they trekked back to town. “I didn't even get to punch that Grom guy in the nose for kidnapping you!”

Lucy, having recovered enough energy to walk beside him, chuckled. “Thanks for the thought, but to be honest, after the reaming out he got from the queen, I'd say _Gorm's_ suffered enough,” she corrected his pronunciation of the name. “Plus, he didn't get to marry her or become king.”

“He looked like he was honestly sorry to me,” Happy opined from over Natsu's shoulder. “He didn't even say anything when Lady—uh, I mean, Queen Vree—declared Benno king.”

Lucy nodded. “Yeah, I think the earthquake truly scared him. Benno told me earthquakes are one of the anteaters' greatest fears. Gorm was really lucky none of his colony were hurt by his recklessness.” After a moment, she added, “And I'm so happy Benno was able to marry the queen! They were adorable together!” She gave Natsu the side-eye and elbowed him reproachfully. “But I can't believe you asked Benno that question! Have you no shame?!”

The Dragon Slayer laughed and ran a hand through his messy hair. “Don't gimme that look, Luce. I was curious. C'mon, weren't you? I mean, the females all have those spikes going down their backs and tails, so...”

“You still shouldn't have asked him how they have sex!” she exclaimed, face red.

Natsu shrugged carelessly. “Bennie didn't seem to mind. He just smiled and said 'very carefully.'”

“That's not the point!” she shrieked, exasperated.

“It's Benno, not Bennie!” Happy chanted at the same time.

They bickered, chatted, and laughed as they approached the inn at Peace Village. Robby sat on the front porch steps, waiting for them. Virgo had spotted the group crossing a pasture on the Haverly farm after escorting the farmers home. She'd hastily delivered Lucy's message before vanishing back into the celestial realm. Just to be safe, Natsu had directed Happy to take the boy back to town. Happy had done so, then flown back to the colony to join his teammates, although by the time he'd arrived, the excitement was pretty much over.

Seeing Robby's anxious expression as he hopped up at their approach, Lucy gave the boy a genuine smile, assuring him, “Everything's okay now, don't worry. Benno even married the queen!” She grinned happily, then climbed the steps, brushing dirt from the hem of her tank top. Grimacing slightly, she declared, “And now, I desperately need a bath! Natsu, would you mind picking up the payment from the mayor? I'm beat.”

“Sure, Luce! Happy an' I will go get it with the kid here.” He winked at Robby. “Take your bath while I get us somethin' ta eat. We'll stay here tonight so just go ahead an' get some rest.”

Lucy smiled back at him gratefully. Happy, grinning, drifted backwards in the air, outside the blonde's reach. He offered casually, “I'll get my share of the reward, but then I'm heading home. I wanna see Carla.” He cast a sly glance at the celestial mage. “Besides, I'm tired of pretending to sleep while Lucy's being so noisy!”

In midstep on the stairs, the blonde stopped in her tracks. Blushing furiously, she turned and lunged for the cat, outraged. _“You little faker!_ Get back here! I'll pull off your ears!”

“Ha ha ha ha...!” Happy chortled, easily dodging her clumsy attempts to snatch him out of the air. He sang in a sing-song voice from behind his paw, _“Lucy and Natsu wanna doooooooo it!”_

She chased him a little ways as he flew off toward the mayor's house, but quickly ran out of steam. Shooting a narrow-eyed “I told you so” glare at Natsu, she stomped back to the porch, climbed the steps, and opened the door, letting it slam behind her as she fled, still blushing, into the inn.

The Dragon Slayer chuckled ruefully, ruffling his messy hair. “Heh heh heh...well, I guess I deserved that.” He shrugged, not at all sorry.

Robby stared at him, confused. He rolled his eyes. “You Fairy Tail mages are weird.”

Natsu merely grinned.

XXX

Three quarters of an hour later, the fire mage returned to the inn with a huge basket of food from the restaurant where they'd eaten yesterday. He'd given Happy a couple of trout (to share with Carla) and bid the Exceed a safe trip home. Entering their room, he could hear Lucy puttering around in the bathroom. He set the basket on a small table near the window so they could enjoy the sunlight. He began unpacking the food, dividing it into one normal-sized portion for the blonde, and one enormous, gut-busting portion for himself.

Once everything was ready, he knocked on the bathroom door. “Lucy, I've got food. Come eat.”

He could smell his girlfriend's honey-and-vanilla fragrance amidst the moisture steaming up the bathroom. He'd noticed Loke's scent on her earlier and briefly wondered why she'd had to call on the leader of the Zodiac. She'd gotten much better at summoning multiple spirits at once, and could hold them outside the celestial realm for longer than ever before, but he knew the more powerful spirits, like Loke and Virgo, greatly taxed her strength. _And Gemini's Benno was no slouch either,_ he thought, recalling the feeling of the earth quaking under his feet. He was relieved Lucy only seemed exhausted and hadn't actually been hurt.

Hungry as he always was after a mission, Natsu figured she'd also be starving. He began stuffing his face as soon as she entered the room. She was still rubbing her wet hair with a towel and wore the inn's fluffy, white bathrobe, which barely covered her to mid-thigh. Tossing the towel over the back of the second chair, she plopped down across from him at the table.

“Mm...looks great! I'm starving,” she told him, picking up a chicken leg and gnawing on it ravenously. Her robe gaped slightly as she leaned over her plate, giving him an unintended view of generous cleavage. She obviously wasn't wearing a bra. Idly, he wondered if she were wearing panties. He felt a surge of warmth to his groin at the thought.

“You okay, Natsu?” Lucy asked, between mouthfuls. “You look a little...I dunno. But you're drooling.”

He blinked, wiping his mouth, then refocused his efforts on finishing his meal quickly. He wanted to take a shower—Luce hated it when he came to bed sweaty and dirty—then spend the rest of the day taking advantage of the glorious privacy of their room. He made a mental note to thank Happy with another fish once he got back home.

Hurriedly, he made short work of most of the chicken, biscuits, corn on the cob, and blueberry pie, then pushed back his chair. “Take your time, Luce. I'm gonna hop in the shower.”

“Okay.”

As he washed and rinsed thoroughly, Natsu thought about Lady—Queen—Vree's situation and Happy's earlier teasing. At the time, he'd been flustered, but now he found himself wondering... Did Lucy _really_ know just how much he loved her? He had no doubt at all that she loved him with all her heart. She'd rewritten his book and he'd felt her every emotion on a soul-deep level. But did she understand that he felt the same way?

Natsu knew he wasn't a hearts-and-flowers, big-romantic-gesture kind of guy, but he liked to think he showed her how much he cared through little actions, every day. He'd never been afraid to express his feelings or say the words “I love you,” but....at the end of the day, they were just words. Did she truly _know?_ Suddenly he wasn't sure, and it bothered him. He wanted to imprint the knowledge of his love into her heart and soul, like she'd done for him.

He stepped out of the shower, drying off instantly with his magic. He wrapped a fresh towel around his hips for Lucy's sake—although honestly...he didn't get why she still got so flustered when he walked around naked. She'd already seen it all—and touched it, too!—and they were alone anyway (the communal bath house didn't count, and neither did Happy since he was a cat) so what was the big deal? It was just a weird quirk that she had, and truthfully, he found it both hilarious and endearing whenever she blushingly demanded he _“put on some damn pants!”_

He turned the knob and exited the bathroom. “Hey, Luce—” he broke off, realizing the chair by the table was empty. His eyes skipped to the bed. His girlfriend was snoring softly, lying on her back on top of the covers, still wearing the bathrobe. Her right hand had fallen to her side, gently clasping her notebook. The pen she used to jot down ideas for stories was tucked within its pages. Apparently, the exhausted author had fallen asleep while working on her notes.

He smiled as he quietly approached the bed and eased the notebook and pen from her slack fingers. He carefully set them on the bedside table and stood back to gaze at her, savoring how daylight made her petal-soft skin and blonde hair glow with a warm, golden sheen. It was different than how she appeared to him at night, under moonlight. There, her porcelain flesh was pale, almost luminescent, and her blonde locks silvery, like moonbeams. He took a moment to appreciate the subtle differences, feeling his pulse quicken with desire.

Moss green eyes wandered over her sleeping face, with its long, dark eyelashes, pert nose, and pink lips that he knew firsthand were plump, soft, and oh-so-kissable. Her silken hair had mostly dried and spread like spun gold over the pillow. He let his gaze drift lower, momentarily entranced with the simple rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. His eyes moved on to skim over her curvy hips and long, toned legs. These last were pale and smooth, and he desperately wanted to run his hands over them, all the way down to her perfect little feet. He noticed her toenails were cotton candy pink today, and the toe ring Porlyusica had given her for birth control glimmered on the second toe of her right foot—a reminder of all the wonderful things he hoped to have with her someday. His heart lurched powerfully inside his chest and he swallowed.

_She's so beautiful and amazing... How did I ever get so lucky?_

He let his towel fall to the floor and knelt on the bed, shifting until he was lying beside her, propped up on his left elbow, head resting on his hand. Delicately, he traced the curve of her cheekbone with his fingertips. She sighed at his touch and rolled to face him, blinking sleepily.

“Hey, you,” she whispered softly.

“Hey, yourself.” He leaned in to kiss her forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“I'm good,” she replied. “Just a little tired. Guess I fell asleep, huh?”

“Yeah,” he responded, caressing her jawline with his thumb. His fingers rested against her throat and he stroked the soft flesh, feeling her pulse accelerate as she stretched, lengthening her neck to give him more access.

She smiled. “I wasn't out too long, was I? Were you lonely?” Her teasing grin made him smile in return. Gods, he loved this woman! If he could only show her how much...

“Not too long,” he told her, letting his thumb drift over to her mouth. He stroked her bottom lip and felt her inhale lightly.

“Luce...” he breathed.

Her chocolate eyes captured him, drawing him in until he brushed his mouth softly over those deliciously kissable lips. She reached up, tangling a hand in his hair to pull him closer, so he kissed her more deeply, teasing her with his tongue until they were both panting for breath.

_She tastes like blueberry pie._

Reluctantly, he pulled back for some much-needed air.

“Natsu...?” she cupped his cheek. He gazed at her so intensely, jade shifting to onyx, that her lower belly tightened with anticipation. She'd noticed that after difficult missions—especially ones where she'd been in danger or hurt—he'd be possessed by an almost all-consuming need for her once they were alone. Always an enthusiastic lover, at times like these, he was fiercely passionate, yet decidedly gentle. He touched her tenderly, like she was something fragile and precious that he never wanted to lose. Almost as if he were reassuring himself she was still there with him.

She loved all the ways he made love to her, of course, but she hated making him worry so. She'd show him she was fine. More than fine.

Sighing his name again, her hands stroked over his throat and chest as she leaned in to kiss him. After a few moments, she broke away, trailing her lips lower, nipping his jawline and throat until she reached his Adam's apple. She sucked gently, loving the low groan it pulled from his throat.

But he wasn't content to relinquish control so easily.

He rolled suddenly, pressing her back against the pillow, legs straddling her upper thighs. She gasped, and he balanced on his knees, framing her face with his palms so he could kiss her again, slowly. He drew her lower lip into his mouth, sucking firmly. When she moaned, he tugged lightly with his fangs—he knew she secretly loved this—before releasing her.

He gazed down at her pink lips, plump and swollen from his kisses. Her pulse was galloping under his fingers and he inhaled deeply, smelling her rising arousal. His own heart was thundering in his ears and he wondered what his face looked like to her in that moment. He nuzzled her nose briefly with his own, murmuring huskily, “Luce... I wonder... Do you know?”

Heavy-lidded eyes quirked an eyebrow at him curiously, but he forestalled any questions by kissing her again, before trailing gentle love bites down the slender column of her throat, making her mewl instead. Deftly, he untied the belt of her robe and parted it, running a callused hand along her smooth skin, feeling the dip of her waist and the generous curve of her hip. As he'd thought, she wasn't wearing panties.

He swallowed and brought his hand up to tug on the loose collar of the robe. Obligingly, she curled her shoulder towards him and bent her arm, sliding it out of the garment as Natsu held the sleeve. He let it fall and took her wrist instead, tenderly pressing his lips to the flesh of her palm, mouthing it gently. He continued down the inside of her forearm, peppering a trail of kisses to the sensitive skin of her inner elbow. She watched him, chocolate eyes dark, as he nibbled his way back up her bicep to her shoulder, nipping her playfully, before drifting over to tease her collarbone. Her eyes closed and she moaned as he roved from there down to her exposed breast, latching onto the achingly firm nipple.

He suckled it briefly, but didn't linger there, and she whined, raising her other arm for him in silent demand. Removing that sleeve as well, he set a slow pace, wanting to taste her skin an inch at a time, loving the sounds she made as his mouth—finally!—reached her other nipple. She sifted her hands into his hair, holding him firmly against her, unwilling to let him escape.

But he had no intention of escaping.

Teasing her breasts with his fingers, tongue, and just a little fang, he quickly had her writhing under him with barely contained desire. He let his right hand drift downwards, stroking over the smooth skin of her belly and the flesh of her hip. He raised his face to nuzzle her throat.

“Spread your legs,” he whispered roughly, settling his knees one at a time inside her thighs as she opened to him. “Good girl...” He brought his hand back up to caress her cheekbone. “Now answer me, Luce,” he coaxed. “Do you?”

Her eyes were hazy with desire, and she struggled to grasp his meaning. “I-I don't understa—”

Before she could finish, he stuck two fingers into her mouth, cutting off her speech. Surprised by the unexpected intrusion, her tongue slid over them, and he withdrew, instantly bringing his moistened fingers down to trace over her clit and feminine folds. He kissed her, swallowing her startled gasp of pleasure.

“Do you know...” he paused to lick and nibble his way back down to her plump breasts, “how much I love you?” Onyx eyes turned upwards to see her face as his left hand plucked at her nipple while the other hand alternated between circling her clit and dipping a finger into her dripping pussy. She could barely concentrate on his words.

“Wha— _ah! Natsu!”_ she cried out passionately as he plunged two fingers into her slick opening, making her back arch in pleasure. He was driving her crazy and she could hardly think, let alone speak coherently! He stroked her insides, curling the pads of his fingers in just the right way, making her almost sob with need.

“Tell me, Luce,” he urged her. He paused in the valley of her cleavage and pressed a kiss over her heart. “I'll do anything,” he breathed. “Anything you want... Just tell me...”

Instead of replying—she was well past the point of speech—she gasped and clutched at his shoulders, pressing downwards insistently. He let out a low chuckle against the soft flesh of her belly as he went, left hand urging her right leg higher. He hooked it over his shoulder as he bent to add his tongue to the pleasure his fingers were giving her. From the way she was clamping down on him and gasping for breath, he knew she could fly apart at any moment.

“Do you know?” he asked again as he took a quick breath. “Say it.” He licked her folds and clit, then sucked on them steadily, urging her to ever greater heights.

Finally, she couldn't take anymore, whimpers escalating suddenly to cries, “Yes... _Yes... Oh gods... YES!”_

She shattered around him, violently orgasming into his eager mouth and squeezing his fingers ferociously. He rode out the storm, swallowing her down, until eventually, she quieted. He withdrew softly, kissing her inner thigh before letting it fall from his shoulder.

“Good,” he murmured, then wiped his mouth with a forearm. He crawled up her body to cradle her face between his palms. “Because I love you more than anything, Luce. And I wanna make sure you know it.”

She stared at him, eyes glazed with passion. “I _do_ know it, Natsu. How could I not?” She gave him a tender kiss, tasting herself on his lips. “I feel it every time you touch me.” She brushed his bangs back from his face tenderly and threaded her fingers through the ones on his left hand that cupped her cheek. “Even when you're only holding my hand.” She moved her face to kiss his palm, looking up at him through lowered lashes. “But now, I want to touch you.”

Lazily, she released him and let her hands trail down the strong column of his throat, over the firm muscles of his shoulders. She felt his biceps as he held himself above her, then slipped her hands around and behind him to trail down his back. Lifting her legs, she nudged him into her more firmly, feeling his erection against her lower belly. He dropped his head to mouth her collarbone as she kneaded the firm flesh of his buttocks. Teasingly, she wrapped her long legs around him, holding him in place, enjoying the feel of his weight pinning her down.

“Maybe I'll just keep you like this forever,” she breathed, tightening her calves around him.

He chuckled softly, “How mean, Luce. I'd rather be like this.” He pushed back against the bed, lifting slightly, before sliding his length into her welcoming heat. They both moaned at the feeling of completion.

“Ah, yes... That's _much_ better,” Lucy agreed, sighing.

“Thought you'd see it my way,” Natsu breathed, as he began to slowly slide in and out of her body. She felt amazing, and despite his determination to take things slowly, he found himself upping the pace. She was tight and wet, and he just couldn't help himself! Fortunately, she seemed to feel the same, rolling her hips underneath him, trying to find that perfect angle that hit her insides just right.

As she arched beneath him, Natsu had a moment of inspiration. He pulled out abruptly, making his girlfriend whine at the loss.

“Lift your hips, Luce,” he directed, shoving the other pillow from the bed under her ass as she complied. He dove back into her, the new angle making both of them groan with pleasure. He bent to taste her bouncing breasts, one at a time. The nipples were taut, pink peaks, and she moaned as he pinched and suckled them, rolling her hips more urgently.

“Natsu!” she cried, voice pleading.

He heard her unspoken demand and reared back, balancing on his knees to lift her legs to his chest. He pressed forward, forcing her knees to hook over his shoulders, bending her almost double at the waist. She arched back against him, opening her legs as wide as his hold would allow as he thrust into her repeatedly, fast and hard. He brought his right hand in to play with her clit, pulling a low cry from her throat.

“Squeeze your tits for me, Luce. I wanna see you come,” he demanded.

Lost in passion, the blonde didn't hesitate, bringing both hands up to fondle her globes, pinching the nipples between her thumb and index finger of each hand. She groped and tugged on them, Natsu's frenetic pace driving her higher and higher, closer to ecstasy with every thrust. When she felt him pulse and thicken inside her, she wailed, inner muscles clenching around him. She flew over the edge with a loud cry. He groaned heavily, slowing to an erratic glide, before collapsing forward onto her chest. Her legs fell weakly to the sides.

At the moment, she couldn't move even if she'd wanted to.

She sighed contentedly, threading her fingers through his soft, pink hair, as she waited for her pulse to settle. After a time, when they'd both calmed, she chuckled softly.

“I guess it's a good thing I came on this mission, after all,” she mused.

“Yeah, Luce. You sure came a lot,” Natsu joked, nuzzling her breast with a teasing smile.

She swatted his arm playfully, laughing, “Not like that, you goof! I meant that I got some great ideas for my story! But most of all...” she pulled his face up for a brief kiss, “I got to have you all to myself today. It's always more fun when we're together.” She smiled mischievously.

He grinned back, with fangs.

“You just wanna try doin' it in front of the bathroom mirror, don'tcha?” he teased.

Her face pinked, but she refused to rise to the bait, replying primly, “We need to shower again after all this exertion anyway, right?”

A toothy grin was his only answer.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed my little take on Mashima's side story. I wanted to try my hand at writing comedy, which is really much harder than it looks! I thought giant anteaters were pretty funny as a basic premise, and the first chapter flowed pretty easily for me, but I struggled mightily with chapter two. You know, the actual plot. I felt like Lucy with her writer's block for awhile, lol.
> 
> I had a hard time deciding where to go with the story, so I fell back on my tried and true: a cheesy romance. But wasn't Benno just a big ol' cutie? His name means "bear" in German, and that's how I thought of him: he's just a big ol' teddy bear!
> 
> I also wanted to write a more tender love scene for Natsu and Lucy at the end. Natsu's not the most introspective guy, but he's definitely the type to take action when he feels it's needed. As for the bathtub adventure, I generally feel these scenes work better in fiction than reality--and I've been happily married for a couple of decades, so I have some personal experience with this, heh heh--but I wanted to write a type of scene that I hadn't already written. In reality, bathtubs are awfully hard on the knees, and water is NOT a good lubricant. So file those tidbits away for future reference. I thought it came together well overall, so I hope it was at least enjoyable to read.
> 
> I generally think of Natsu and Lucy as a very funny and sexy couple, so I tried to write the story to emphasize this. As usual, I found the sexy easier to write, but I hope I was able to make people lol at least once or twice (special thanks to Happy, who provides much-needed comic relief in a pinch!) I'm curious to know which parts people found amusing, so please drop me a review if you feel like sharing.
> 
> Fun fact: In Australia and New Zealand, there really is a spiny anteater with sharp spines for defense all down its back. They lay eggs like the platypus, and the females form a pouch to carry the egg around after laying it. (Truth is stranger than fiction, ha!) Biologists who study this animal spent years trying to figure out how the species actually breeds, because of the spines and some poison sacs attached to dew claws on the insides of their back legs. I thought it would be funny to have Natsu ask Benno about this, since even scientists want to know!


End file.
